Editorial: Preying on desperation

Smugglers are criminals

There seems to be no end to the lengths some humans will go to profit from the desperation and desire of others.

That was driven home Thursday with the arrest in Oxnard of six people on human smuggling charges &#8212; bringing people into the U.S. in violation of immigration laws &#8212; by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The suspects, five from Oxnard and one National City man, worked out of an Oxnard body shop and used hidden compartments built into pickups and SUVs, along with center consoles and audio speaker boxes to secrete illegal immigrants into the U.S. from Mexico, according to ICE agents.

In all, the smuggling ring brought people into this country at least 25 times in 2005 and 2006. Those spirited across the U.S./Mexican border, including minor children and convicted drug traffickers, were simply left in Oxnard, Los Angeles and other Southern California cities by the smugglers.

These border crossings, which cost as much as $3,000 per person, were not without peril. One illegal immigrant hidden in a compartment beneath a truck's floorboards, suffered second-degree burns caused by heat from the drive shaft, an ICE agent told The Star.

Officials say this latest evolution of human smuggling is a response to more aggressive efforts &#8212; added Border Patrol agents, new fencing, surveillance cameras, motion sensors &#8212; to stop the flow of illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico after the Sept. 11 attacks.

We believe stronger enforcement along the borders and more concerted efforts to halt those who would prey on others desperation and desire is necessary. U.S. officials have enough on their plate figuring out how to reform immigration policies and what to do with the estimated millions of illegal immigrants already in this country.

Stemming the flow and going after those who flout the law are needed steps that seem to have been long overdue.

Most of the illegal immigrants already here know of the terrors of being smuggled into this country via vans and tractor-trailor rigs or making the dangerous trek across inhospitable deserts. Unfortunately, many have died in this pursuits for a better life.

No one should suffer such indignities because, as the details about the Oxnard smuggling case show, those who engage in smuggling human cargo hold little regard for the safety or welfare of people they are transporting.

Smugglers only use the lure of a better life in the U.S. to exploit and to turn a profit. They are the real criminals here and deserve to be behind bars.